Results 3,941-3,960 of 15,389 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Denmark does not have an option to opt in. When it agreed to join, in a similar way that we negotiated the opt-in, Denmark decided not to apply asylum rules and regulations. It is part of Schengen, though, so it is not opting out of any of the Schengen measures.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It has a separate parallel process, but that is not we looked for or agreed to, and it is not what people signed up to when they voted for the Lisbon treaty. They signed up to us deciding whether we wanted to opt in. We are not the same as Denmark and I do not think we can be compared to Denmark.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Denmark's system is different from ours. It is a system where people are detained. They are not allowed leave. You can look at what the reception conditions are like compared to ours.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It operates differently.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It has different agreements with different member states in terms of returns or take-backs, but it is a fact that Denmark detains people in the same way that they would be detained in prison. Those are the rules it applies. That is the decision it took.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: That is not the decision we have taken and not the route we have chosen, and I do not think the majority of people would like us to go down that route. That is Denmark's decision and I am not commenting on it - good, bad or indifferent. However, that is a very different system. Denmark is part of Schengen, so it applies all of the different Schengen rules. We cannot do that because we are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: It is not about the overall numbers; this is just about the relocation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Senator is quoting migration numbers, not asylum numbers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: That is not people applying for asylum.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: First, that is a migration figure. It is not people applying for asylum so we have not done a figure based on that because it does not apply in any way, shape or form. The 2.16%, which is calculated via GDP and population, only applies to the reallocation or solidarity mechanism. What is clearly set out is that 30,000 is the figure that can increase. It will not increase to 5 million...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: We are not asking anyone to do that. The Senator is taking a figure for overall-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: I do not have the figure to hand but I can-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: I can reassure the Senator that these are documents that have gone through extensive engagement with legal teams, legal professionals and legal translators. As a country, we then transpose this legislation and obviously do so with the Senator and other colleagues across both Houses. I assure the Senator that my team and others have gone through this in great detail. The language that has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: As to the Deputy's last question, the first iteration was presented in 2016. There is, and has been, an option for any member of this committee or any Member of the Houses to raise any of the issues that were presented in 2016, or in 2020 with the second iteration. There was nothing to stop Deputies or Senators from putting down questions, calling for debates, bringing forward Private...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: There have obviously been measures to which we have opted in prior to now and they have been debated in this committee. Recently, or last year, we opted into the new agency. This was debated. We have opted in to recent measures around human trafficking and this was debated here. It is not to suggest that there have not been debates in this House, but at any stage, the Deputy could have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: The Attorney General's advice is never published, but what I will say is that we have a constitutional requirement that any measure we opt in to be approved by both Houses and that is obviously what we are doing here. We are having this debate now and then the option is for both Houses to opt in. That is the constitutional requirement and we are absolutely adhering to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: I hope that I was clear at the outset when this matter was raised that this is not a sovereign matter. This is not about us losing our sovereignty, but about us choosing and deciding to pass legislation which would very much align us with what our other European colleagues are doing for the benefit of this country. The people of this country voted for the Lisbon treaty, very much aware of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: A variety of people apply. Some arrived in the UK legally, then sought asylum there and are now applying for asylum here. Others sought asylum in the EU, arrived in the UK and then came here. Others have a legal right to be in the UK and have applied for asylum. There is a variety of people applying for asylum.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: We have a variety. I do not have the figures in front of me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Helen McEntee: Yes, there is a mixture. That is why it is so important that we have appropriate procedures in place with the UK. We have close engagement and procedures with the UK. I mentioned the issue that arose recently about returns, which will be rectified as quickly as possible. It is the case that people also arrive in Ireland seeking to go to the UK. People arrive here illegally, but there are...